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MLB WINTER MEETINGSDecember 4, 2007Trey HillmanNASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Q. What are you going to do with Guillen? TREY HILLMAN: Unfortunately, I can't comment on anything related to Guillen. I hope that we do get him. I will say that simply because we have the obvious need of adding power to our lineup. So I hope that's something that happens for the Kansas City Royals. Q. Trey, give us -- I was I just walked up. How are you doing, man? The situation, you got to see Dukedom play a lot. Could you give us a comment on what you think of him as a talent? TREY HILLMAN: I think he's very talented. Given left-handed hitters over the course of my five years in Japan, there's really only one other Fukadome-type hitter, and I managed him, that I would put in the same classification. That was Ichiro and Iwamura. The statement I made many times, and I would still make it, was "Oh, Iwamura was the best pure hitter that I've ever managed that was a left-handed hitter. Fukadome, I think, is in the similar classification with Iwamura. Some of his slug and power numbers are not as consistent as Iwamura's, but they played in two different leagues. Sometimes that's advantageous; sometimes it's a disadvantage. He's got short to the ball. He's got great balance. He stays inside the ball. He's got more balance than most left-handed hitters that are Japanese-style hitters with a leg lift. He's athletic defensively. A lot of people don't know his high school background. He was he was originally a shortstop in high school. That gives you a little bit of your idea with athleticism and lateral movement. He reads and routes are very pure in the outfield. I've been asked the question from people from the United States when I was still in Japan as to whether or not I felt like he could play centerfield if there was a need in the right ballpark. I have no reservations with that. I'm not sure it's a long-term fix in center, but I wouldn't have any reservations of putting him in a centerfield that was not something that was a huge gap coverage outfield. Q. You think he's capable of being a middle of the order hitter in the big league? TREY HILLMAN: Yes, I do. I think he's a run producer. Throwing it out there, I'd probably say somewhere 5, 6, somewhere in there with the potential for possibly after getting acclimated with the league and the pitching that he's facing, maybe even a 3, depending on how comfortable he got. Don't think he's got the typical club of a number 4 that you want to see with the consistency of getting the ball out of the ballpark. It depends on how your lineup is constructed. Depends on where he goes. Q. How are you coming in the search for a starting pitcher so far? Any progress? TREY HILLMAN: I think so. I think there's being progress made every day simply because there's some pretty deep discussions going on. It's been very educational for me. Not only reacclimating me with names and ability levels here in the United States, but just the process and the aggressive aggressiveness that I think we have. There are things that we're talking about that I get really excited whether they happen or not simply because there are options that are being explored. Q. You said previously Karota (phonetic) was the kind of guy that fit in the rotation. TREY HILLMAN: I said how highly I think of him. I don't think anyone's rotation that Karota wouldn't fit into it. It's a matter of whether or not you're ready to make the commitment to go down that road. I like him as at least a solid number 3 when I talk about comparisons and putting guys in slots in the United States. I just ask for people's patience, not because I expect anyone to give me a mulligan, but I haven't been here in five years and it's no secret that I didn't do it everyday before I left, but I did do it in AAA and I was much more familiar with the ability level then than I am now. But, I would find it hard to believe that Karota is not anyone's number 3 and maybe higher. Q. Trey, do you anticipate any kind of adjustments as far as how you manage in Japan as to how you manage in the United States? TREY HILLMAN: I do. Depends on what our roster looks like. If we can add some slug, which everyone knows that that's one of our objectives for the off-season and the free agent market. Hopefully it happens. If it does happen, simply means I get to stay out of the way more, you know. I get fewer signs. There was a major adjustment honestly from the way I managed from 2006 to 2007 there because we lost 58 homeruns between '06 and '07. I had to get involved a little bit more hitting and running, fake bunt, hit and run, steal. We upped our stolen base average, base hit, bunted more. Those are things I talked to the players about. I've spoken with the media. I only want to diversify on a need-to basis only. We've already have in the plans two days of coaches meetings. We will be playing controlled scrimmages earlier and more often than any of these guys have ever experienced simply for the possibility of needing the diversification with the offense. Pitchers are excited about it. I've spoken to almost every guy on the 40-man roster. They're very excited about it simply because they get to face hitters sooner than they ever faced them in Spring Training. Mack and I will both be there early. It's not mandatory. It wasn't mandatory last year. It's my understanding that almost the entire pitching staff was down there that we're going to be at Major League camp. They get a little program going sooner than later. Q. Is there a difference in the way you would handle Japanese players as opposed to American players? TREY HILLMAN: With Yubota (phonetic), yes, because now he's here. With him, I don't apologize for this and I never will. He's in a brand new culture. Mack is aware of this. I've expressed to him the need. I will cater to him and his needs because the quicker he can be more comfortable with what we're doing on the field and with our American system with the Kansas City Royals, the better he's going to perform as a pitcher, specifically with that. Specifically with that when we have things we're going to be doing on a daily basis that are off the beaten path with a pick-off play or a bunt play and he needs to understand his specific responsibilities and the timing and who he's reading to make the play run, Mack and I will sit down with him with the interpreter before we ever cover it with the rest of the pitching staff so when he hears it with his fellow pitchers and the battery group it will be something that he's hearing for the 2nd time through the interpreter. I want the first time to be very clear from his pitching coach and from me as the manager, and the 2nd time it will be something that he can get a 2nd time so that will put him in a more comfortable position before he goes and does it on the field physically. So, yes, as a group, not really. I mean, I'm not going to change my personality any. I'm going to try to manage to the strengths of the club. Won't know what the strengths are until we get to Spring Training. Q. If you guys do get Guillen finalized, where would you see him fitting in? TREY HILLMAN: Middle of the order, either corner. Defensive position. He's not as important for me as the added potential to the lineup with slug and driving runs in Guillen up there. It would depend on how some other things fell. Q. Could that lead to -- TREY HILLMAN: It could lead to a lot of things I'm not ready to discuss until we find out what all the pieces are and we get this finalized. I'll be happy to discuss it as they become finalized because, as I said earlier, I'm excited that some of these things are even possibilities and that's exciting to me. Q. Talk a little bit about growing up managing-wise in the Yankee organization. TREY HILLMAN: Sure. If I don't go deep enough, you just tell me. Wonderful training ground, in my opinion. I'll try to be short. I grew up in Arlington Texas, you think I group up like I go the New York Yankees? Not too much. But it was very quick for me to become not only an employee but gain much more appreciation. I felt like I had an appreciation for baseball history and lore before I joined the Yankees. Getting an opportunity to put the pinstripes on and be a part of is was something special. The thing that made it most special was the people I got to work with. Quickly realized what a wonderful opportunity I had to be around some of the legend guys and the experiences that they had simply because of the positions that they were in to play some of the games that they played. Tried to keep my mouth shut early in my career and listen a lot. For whatever reason, George Bradley, Mark Newman, gave me one year of coaching experience at 26 and decided that I was ready to manage at 27. It wasn't something that I volunteered for. It wasn't something that I campaigned for. It was just something that happened. Still to this day I'm not sure why they did it. I never asked. They told me I was going to manage at 27. Took over a club in the Penn League and managed the next 12 years. I felt like I paid my dues, but looking back on it, managing A-ball for eight years, it was worth it. It was worth every bus ride and every trip I took. I felt like there were opportunities that maybe I could have managed at a higher level sooner. There were two different years, consecutive years, after I already accumulated I think five, six years at the A-ball level that they went outside the organization to hire AA managers. That was good for my patience, looking back on it. It was frustrating at the time, but it was probably the right move that they made because they were a lot smarter than I was, the decision-makers. After I got to AA, then it started moving a little faster. I was in AA in '97 and '98. AAA, '99, 2000, 2001. Throughout those years, wonderful development staff guys that I got to work with. I got to watch the preparedness of a Buck Showalter, not firsthand, but I was around him enough in camps and followed his career ahead of mine and knowing the things that were important for him and to him in preparing his players that he was in charge of to be ready for a series in day-in and day-out games. Once '96 hit, I was still, it was my last year in A-ball. It was the new Tampa situation for Legends Field and that franchise there in the Florida State League out of Fort Lauderdale and moving to Tampa. Got to experience Joe Torre. I didn't get a whole lot of time with Joe, sit-down time. Major league manager there wasn't much time. Got a lot of time to observe him. I tried to take advantage of that. Wonderful experience just getting to see the simplicity and the honesty with the way he dealt with players. Players were big names. Players with supposedly really big egos. They didn't have big egos as reported. Joe was very consistent. It was a great experience for me to get to be at the Major League camp working under Willie Randolph and doing -- implementing his infield program which freed him up to be able to see both fields running at the same time. It was a nice sense of responsibility that I believe helped me grow. Then the Rangers asked for permission to talk to me. I felt like I kind of reached the end of the road with the New York Yankees, not having the good bubble gum card and not having the Major League experience. I didn't feel I was going to get an opportunity at the Major League level in New York. It's a part of game. I understand it. Not bitter about it at all. Very thankful for my time with the Yankees. I felt it was time to move on. Texas provided me with that opportunity, and from Texas over to Japan. Anything else I didn't cover about New York? Q. Trey, when you left the Yankees after '01, it was a coordinator role with the Rangers, right? TREY HILLMAN: I was a Minor League Director and Field Coordinator. Q. Were there doubts that this day would ever come, that you would have taken a different track? TREY HILLMAN: I'll be brutally honest. I was bypassed -- definitely once, probably twice by the Yankees for jobs that I felt like I was qualified for at the Major League level. There were other people that felt like I had been by passed as well. At that point in time, honestly, I really washed my hands of where it was and what I was going to do. At that point in time on my innermost thoughts in my soul I said, "You know what? If I will focus solely on getting better, at getting guys to the Major League and developing my relationship with players within what I do as a baseball man, God will take care of the rest." And really since that second time I got bypassed or in my mind I felt like I was bypassed, I really didn't worry about it. But I really didn't have any animosity. I was thankful to the New York Yankees. They're the ones that gave me an opportunity to manage at 27. Why? I never asked. I'm glad they did. Rather than be bitter, I was thankful for what they did give me, and I moved on when I had an opportunity and I thought it was a fit. Q. I apologize for jumping in late. What can you and what can't you say about the reports circulating with Ozzie Guillen? TREY HILLMAN: Normally I would accept your apologies. I would accept that, but I can't, especially while he's filming. I simply said earlier that everyone knows what's out there. I'm not at liberty to say anything. Other than if that happens, I'll be happy that it happens. We need right-handed slug. Q. Notwithstanding that report, the ebb and flow of a day and a half, are you confident whether it will be a free agent signing or another trade that you can make improvements to your ball club? TREY HILLMAN: I'm confident that Drayton Moore and the people he listens to in that suite up there, I'm confident that they came to the Winter Meetings with very aggressive approach, and some of the scenarios that I've had an opportunity to listen to, they wouldn't be getting discussed if they were not possibilities because that's not the type of people that I believe I'm working for. I stated earlier it's really exciting to me just to hear the possibility of some of the scenarios because it gives you pretty good idea of the aggressiveness that our people -- roads they're willing to go down for the possibilities of improvement of play immediately. Q. Not only the aggressiveness on your part, but if you have other people calling you, it means other organizations are interested in your talent. TREY HILLMAN: Well, I think, again, I have to qualify this. I've not seen it other than on individual video and heard many, many reports now, especially over the last few days, but I think that it's warranted that people are excited about some of our core players. I don't think it's any secret that there are several organizations that lack anywhere from two to four of our people that have a chance being in our everyday lineup. Q. Fighter's ring? TREY HILLMAN: That is a fighter's ring. Little unusual in Asia to get rings, but it's becoming a little more common, and there was from 2006 and they're going to do it again for the pennant in 2002. It was nice. They treated us good. End of FastScripts |
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